Delay of Game Cost Panthers in Game 1 of Cup Final. Too Harsh?

Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final in this year’s battle between the Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers was a classic.

It was exciting, close, and there was plenty of physical contact.

It is unfortunate, however, that the outcome was impacted by controversial rules.

Not a controversial call, mind you, but a rule that the NHL should look at.

The delay of game penalty for projecting the puck out of the playing area has been controversial since its inception.

While the intention was honorable — to speed up the game by avoiding unnecessary stoppages in play — the impact has, at times, been devastating.

On Wednesday, Tomas Nosek flew the puck into the stands while trying to clear it out of the Florida zone. That 2-minute penalty in overtime gave Edmonton a power play which resulted in Leon Draisaitl getting the deciding goal in a 4-3 Game 1 win.

It is not the first time that this infraction cost a team a critical playoff game.

What immediately comes to memory is the Vegas-Dallas series of 2020.

Vegas was eliminated when Dallas scored an overtime goal after Zach Whitecloud was penalized for puck over glass.

After Monday’s Game 1 Stanley Cup Final loss, Panthers coach Paul Maurice tried to minimize the on-ice error, simply calling it a “tough break.”

He reminded all how valuable Nosek has been to the team.

This infraction, while important, is not as serious as obstruction penalties such as hooking or tripping, and definitely is not worthy of the same punishment imposed for high sticking, slashing, or roughing.

So, what is the answer?

My opinion is that a puck going over the glass is no more severe than icing, which brings a faceoff in your defensive zone.

If an added punitive measure is needed think about a) loss of a timeout, b) loss of a challenge, or if both of these have already been expended, or c) all faceoffs for a two-minute period are in the defensive zone.

Maybe consider suspending the rule during the postseason.

After all, the salary cap is suspended, which allows teams to stack talent that they might otherwise not be able to do, so why not this?

Surely there is a solution. All it takes a little imagination.

Right now, the penalty is too severe for the infraction.

Now let’s talk about goalie interference.

A puck over glass is automatic whereas goalie interference involves judgement and interpretation of the rules.

The rulebook states that goals should be disallowed if  “an attacking player, either by his positioning or by contact, impairs the goalkeeper’s ability to move freely within his crease or defend his goal…”

It further states that if an attacking player is “ pushed, shoved, or fouled by a defending player,” this is not goalie interference, provided that the player makes a “reasonable effort” to avoid contact.

In the official’s judgement, Sam Bennett was tripped by Brett Kulak on his first-period goal in Game 1. The trip caused  Bennett to fall into goalie Stuart Skinner.

Obviously, the Oilers’ video team had a different interpretation.

Had the Oilers lost, coach Kris Knoblauch would have been second-guessed for the unsuccessful challenge which awarded Florida a power play and resulted in Brad Marchand’s goal to give the Panthers a 2-1 lead.

Between periods, TNT analysts had different opinions of whether there was really goalie interference on the part of Bennett.

The fact that it was even discussed would mean the challenge was far from a sure thing.

Bennett, of course, has a reputation for running goalies. Did he attempt to get out of the way? Only he knows.

A close look at the video raised even more questions but didn’t provide enough information to overturn the call on the ice.

Did Kulak trip Bennett or did Bennett trip over Kulak. Did Bennett try to avoid contact?

Postgame, Knoblauch indicated he was surprised by the unsuccessful challenge.

“What I’ve seen in the NHL this year on goaltender interference challenges, I had confidence,’’ he said. “I would challenge that again.”

This is a rule subject to interpretation and in this case, it favored Florida.

Today is another day.

At this point the only important thing about Game 1 is the final score.

2025 STANLEY CUP FINAL

GAME 2

FLORIDA PANTHERS @ EDMONTON OILERS

Edmonton Leads Best-of-7 Series 1-0

• When: Friday, 8 p.m.
• Where: Rogers Place, Edmonton
• National TV: TNT/truTV 
• National Streaming: Max
• Radio: WQAM 560-AM; WPOW 96.5-FM2; WBZT 1230-AM (Palm Beach); WCTH 100.3-FM (Florida Keys), SiriusXM
• Radio Streaming: SiriusXM, NHL App
• Series Schedule (all games at 8 p.m., TNT) — Game 1: @Edmonton 4, Florida 3 OT; Game 2: @Edmonton Friday; Game 3: @Florida Monday; Game 4: @Florida, Thursday June 12; Game 5*: @Edmonton, Saturday June 14; Game 6*: @Florida, Tuesday June 17; Game 7*: @Edmonton, Friday June 20.
• Regular Season (Panthers won 2-0) — At Florida: Panthers 4, Oilers 3 (Feb. 27). At Edmonton: Panthers 6, Oilers 5 (Dec. 16).
• How They Got Here: Edmonton d. Los Angeles (6), Vegas (5), Dallas (5); Florida d. Tampa Bay (5), Toronto (7), Carolina (5)
• Postseason History: Florida Won 2024 Stanley Cup Final 4-3
• All-time Regular Season Series: Oilers lead 23-18-0, 3 ties